


tequila, blueberries & ice cream

by JujuRotfuchs



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Disaster Gays, Falling In Love, First Date, First Meetings, Fluff, Frat Boy Shiro (Voltron), Humor, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, SHEITH - Freeform, Tiny bit of Angst, baby gay Keith, dumb boys having awkward crushes, everything is sweet and funny and nothing hurts, except for the second hand embarrassment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 10:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15095105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JujuRotfuchs/pseuds/JujuRotfuchs
Summary: "I said what? When exactly did I say something like that?“ Pretty face or not, Keith wouldn’t hesitate to knock this guys lights out if he turned out to be a freak.Shiro shrugs. „Last Friday, well, more like Saturday morning."Oh no.Pidge’s birthday had been last Friday and Keith had gotten horribly drunk. Drunk enough to wake up with a murderous hangover and no idea of how he’d gotten home.Swallowing in sudden fear of further embarrassment and dropping his fighting attitude, Keith no longer knows how to face Shiro. „I asked you out to get ice cream?“„No.“Oh, thank fuck!„You told me that I should invite you and your plushie out for ice cream.“ Shiro chuckles, looking charmed for whatever reason.Or:Shiro finally has the balls to ask his crush out for a date. The only problem? Keith doesn't seem to remember that he was the one suggesting a date in the first place.Meanwhile, Keith wonders how this ridiculous hot frat boy knows about his love for ice cream and the name of his favorite plushie. This is exactly why he doesn't bother with boys.





	tequila, blueberries & ice cream

** Shiro  
**

  
There is this guy. Shiro is pretty sure that he’s enrolled because he keeps seeing him on campus. He knows next to nothing about him but that is not enough to keep him from staring, whenever he catches sight of his dark shaggy hair.

Shiro feels a bit ridiculous whenever he finds himself looking for the guy. He’s a stranger, could be a total asshole for all Shiro knows but something about him makes Shiro’s stomach flip.  
He tries to tell himself that it’s not because the guy is strikingly pretty, he’s not that shallow. The accident leaving his own body in scares made sure of that.

But still, the high cheekbones of the guy don’t help whenever Shiro tries not to stare. His sharp jawline is less than helpful.  
Shiro has never come close enough to even guess the color of his eyes, which he counts as a blessing at this point.

He believes in sexual attraction at first sight, of annoyance at first sight but not in finding love that quickly. But if he were to drown in someone’s eyes and fall hard, then Shiro is sure that they would belong to the pretty boy.

It’s a risk he’d rather not take. Not before he knows more at least.

None of his friends have a clue who this kid is. Not Tyler, who’s friends with half the University on social media. Not Josh, who slept with half the University.  
Shiro doesn’t bother asking his best friend Matt, who hides in the labs most of the time anyway. He would never hear the end of it if Matt found out that Shiro’s crushing this hard on a stranger.

Sometimes Shiro catches sight of pretty boy as he hurries across campus, clutching a coffee cup and several heavy books.  
Shiro considers offering to carry them but pretty boy wears headphones and glares at the ground as he walks, looking like he’d rather not be approached.

One time Shiro sees him in the gym and thinks his lucky day has come. Seconds later, he witnesses how pretty boy beats the absolute shit out of a punching bag until sweat soaks his shirt and glues his hair to the back of his neck.  
Shiro feels intimidated and aroused all at once, wondering if the kid would spin around on instinct and land his next punch on Shiro’s scarred nose if he walked up to him now. He doesn’t risk finding it out.

Shiro rounds the corner after his lecture and stops dead in his tracks, causing a few people to bump into his broad shoulders.

Pretty boy is leaning against a brick wall, talking to a girl with long silvery hair. Shiro’s shoulders sag at the sight. The girl is beautiful in an otherworldly way.  
He can’t help staring at her, can’t help thinking that she and pretty boy would make a gorgeous couple. Shiro himself has no interest in her, even if her beauty is blinding him. She’s as breathtaking as an exotic butterfly but Shiro’s not interested in fucking butterflies. He simply wishes she would fly away.

He almost starts laughing in relief when another guy walks up the couple and puts his arm around the girl’s shoulders before leaning down to kiss her. Pretty boy watches with a bored expression and Shiro can’t help but smile.

Shiro doesn’t see him often enough to remember some kind of routine and even if he had a clue where and when to find the guy, he’s not sure he’d be there.  
It’s one thing to helplessly pine after a stranger based on looks and the fact that he could probably kill Shiro despite his muscle mass. It’s another to hunt him down without having any idea on how to talk to said stranger. He tries to deal with the situation reasonably.

Never before had asking someone out be this difficult. Shiro is outgoing and talkative, not too hard on the eyes either as he was told. It’s easy to be friendly when introducing himself to the friends of his friends. It’s fun to chat up people at parties when everyone is feeling chatty after a few drinks. Often he doesn’t even have to try, the people come and talk to him.

_Shiro, you’re so tall, can you get this down the shelf for me?_

_Can you help me out? I’ve forgotten where the Prof. was going with this?_

_Hey, can you help me carry this for a second?_

You’re _Matt’s friend right? He said you’re really smart._

_Shiro, you should invite me to one of your parties._

_Hey Shiro…_

But how does one talk to pretty boys when they look like they have zero interests in being approached and there is no excuse, no connection and no mutual friend to help you out?

If Matt knew that his friend, Shiro the beefcake, was too intimidated by a boy half his size simply because of a crush, he would start a study on him named _we might think ourselves to be the superior race but as soon as we want ass, we turn back into drooling apes._

It was so frustrating. Shiro just wanted to talk to him and find out his name.

The next time he spots him in the library, he tells himself to just suck it up and walk over there. He will just say Hi and smile real charming and then ask him…yeah, what?

He imagines pretty boy staring up at him with the most bored expression, unmoving and unimpressed, not smiling in return. He wouldn’t say Hi and not tell his name, waiting for Shiro to fuck off again.

Shiro’s seen that before, someone had tried to hit on pretty boy and he had verbally castrated the guy in about three sentences. Shiro had been too far away to hear the entire conversation but to be fair, the guy had introduced himself rather crudely, so he had it coming.

 _Pretty boy is probably really smart and mean and he’ll rip your heart out before you’ll ever even know his name_ , a voice inside Shiro’s head whispered.

So Shiro stays where he’s sitting several tables away, trying to not make his staring too obvious. Pretty boy was pouting at whatever assignment giving him trouble, scratching what he’d written so far.

 _I should go over and ask him if he needs help_ , Shiro thinks. _Yeah and what if he’s writing an essay in French?_ Shiro flatly reminds himself, fiddling with his own papers.

For the next hour, pretty boy bites his lip and ties his shaggy hair up into an adorable little ponytail. He slurps cold coffee and glares at everyone who dares to make too much noise inside the library. He plays with his phone and finds some chewing gum inside his jacket, popping a piece between his pouty lips. He melts Shiro’s heart with the way he’s nodding along to his music and almost gives him a heart attack when he shrugs off his jacket to sit in a tiny tank top for the remaining time that shows off his biceps and some of his lower back whenever he leans forward.

While observing him in a way that’s totally not creepy, Shiro searched his brain desperately for any kind of conversation starter. He could ask for help on something. He could say he got lost. He could ask what pretty boy was listening to. He could fake having an allergic reaction. He could act like he’d mistaken him for someone else. He could just ask him to marry him right here on the spot.

He could…

He could think about what to say to him the next time he saw him because pretty boy was gathering his things and got up to leave. Unfortunately, he didn’t leave anything behind that Shiro could pick up to run after him.  
  


**Keith**  


Keith’s walk home from his learning group consists mostly of trying to remember the contents of his fridge and wondering whether leftover Pizza or Ramen will better quench his craving for something sweet.

He’d been longing for some sugar all day and while he didn’t find the time between classes to simply raid one of the vending machines, he now regrets not tagging along with Hunk.

Hunk was a proven mom-friend and almost always carried some delicious, if not self-made, snacks on him. So if it weren’t for Keith still getting nauseous even thinking about his last hangover, he’d surely be on his way to Karaoke with Hunk and the others by now.  
Snacking on some cookies, preferably.  
Instead, he’d opted out, knowing that starting to day-drink would surely result in another hangover he wasn’t ready to face yet.

Taking the route through the park, Keith can’t help but notice how warm it had gotten. The afternoon sun shone down almost burningly on the back of his neck and all around him, nature starts blossoming into lush greens.

There are students and families lazily lounging on the grass and in the sun, holding their faces towards the blue, almost cloudless, sky. If Keith were to take his headphones out now, he would hear the buzzing of bees and birds chirping among the trees.

He’s slowing his steps, wondering if he too should just sit down in the sun and read for a bit. No textbook for once but an actual book, preferably with so many warlocks, knights or excessive explosions that he completely forgets about calculus for a while.

Keith lets his eyes wander for a nice spot to make himself comfortable when his lips part in surprise. He caught sight of someone he didn’t expect to come across, someone he knows next to nothing about and yet he can’t bring himself to look away.

The guy is unfairly pretty. Although pretty might not be a word that others would use to describe him. He’s as buff as one can be without looking borderline ridiculous, tall and broad-shouldered. Keith would bet money that he maybe even hides an eight-pack under his shirts. However, the guy is not only built like a Greek god, he’s also…well…pretty. Sharp jawline, full lips, blinding white teeth.

Keith has seen him before. Multiple times. Partying on campus, working out in the gym, hitting bars with his loud gorilla-like friends. He knows that his name is Shiro, he heard his friends chant it when he’d chugged down drinks. _Shiro, Shiro, Shiro, Shiro!_ And then again when he’d won the questionable drinking game: _Champ, Champ, Champ, Champ!_

Frat boys. Undoubtedly.

And that’s exactly why Keith won’t dare even looking his way, no matter how desperately he wants to tug on that fluffy, white-streaked hair.

Everything about Keith screams: _tiny angry baby gay with a library of issues and weird hobbies paired with even weirder friends._  
He doesn’t look like he can break someone’s jaw, so big guys approaching Keith usually choose between bullying or harassing him. It never ends well for them but like mentioned, they don’t know that beforehand.

Everything about Shiro screams: _big buff frat bro’ who’s out of your league in every way. Tons of friends and so fucking handsome that he’s either incredibly dumb or an absolute asshole._

Keith is not proud of it but he’d never claimed to be above having prejudices.

He would like to think that, judging by the scars Shiro wears and the big smile he greets everyone with, he’s incredibly nice and thoughtful.  
That he hadn’t imagined it when Shiro offered to spot for complete strangers in the gym without being condescending in the slightest. That he was real good friends with the people he hung out with, having a connection that went deeper than being each other’s drinking buddies. That he was at least half as nice and smart as he was good looking.

Not that Keith would ever find out what kind of person Shiro actually was. Because not only was he biased and withdrawn, he was also scared shitless about being rejected by the guy he unconsciously started to daydream about. Fucking damn-it.

It’s all the more surprising and slightly disturbing when he sees Shiro heading straight towards where Keith stands on the trail, surrounded by wooden benches and blooming trees.  
Maybe Keith is daydreaming again but something about a baby starting to wail loud enough to be heard despite his headphones tells him he’s not.

And oh god, Shiro is widely smiling! At Keith? Can’t be.

Keith resists the urge to turn around to see if there’s a Frat Bro standing behind him, making a crude gesture. But by doing that he would acknowledge that he’s been observing Shiro ever since he caught sight of him and that can’t happen.  
Keith is stubbornly ignoring the fact that Shiro can, at this point, obviously tell that Keith has been looking at him. They’re only an arms reach away from each other now and Keith his still gaping while Shiro is still smiling.

Up close Keith can see for the first time that Shiro’s eyes are a stormy grey and that he’s got beautiful long lashes. How infuriating.  
Keith’s eyes wander down to Shiro’s lips and his smile crooks in a way that now looks slightly…flustered? Again, can’t be.  
Looking closer, said lips are suddenly moving and _oh!_ Oh fuck, Shiro is talking to Keith, who only stares and drools, making an absolute idiot out of himself.

Ripping his headphones out, Keith prays to every higher power there might be that he looked deep in thought or distanced in a sexy way but not like he’d been counting the lashes of this beefcake! Please, please, please!

„Yeah?“ Keith asks, hoping that he sounds husky and cool rather than breathless and embarrassed.

Shiro chuckles but it doesn’t sound like he’s making fun of Keith. Yet. „I just came over to say Hi.“

Is that a joke? Is he mistaking Keith for a girl? It happened before, admittedly but it had been dark in the club and Keith’s hair had been longer.

„Hi?“ He answers Shiro very eloquently.

„Hi.“ Shiro smiles again and the sun pales in comparison. The thought is so pathetic that Keith wants to knock himself out.

Keith has no clue what Shiro could possibly want from him. His thoughts race from things Shiro could be asking for: the time, a lighter (Keith’s never even seen him smoking) or the way (the way? He’s going to college here, why would he ask for the way?). To things like: _oh god, oh god, oh god_.  
That said, he’s not expecting at _all_ what comes out of Shiro’s mouth next.

„How’s Captain Blueberry?“ He sounds genuine, a little shy even but Keith’s blood runs cold.

Captain Blueberry is the name of his favorite plushie.

A purple Hippo he had since he was a toddler and one of the few things remaining from his shaky childhood. He loved that thing, even nowadays he liked to use it as a pillow.

The issue is that no one, except for Hunk or Pidge maybe, knew about him. There was no way either of them would’ve said anything. They might’ve seen the plushie sitting on Keith’s bed but Keith had never mentioned his name to them. He knew that without a doubt.

Keith’s lovesick smile disappears as he glares at Shiro, eyes glazing over with ice. „Are you trying to be funny or do you wanna threaten me? Because I’d prefer it if you’d straight up tell me what your problem is, man.“

Shiro’s eyes go wide and he raises his hands as if he wants to show Keith that he came in peace. „Hey Keith, calm down. I’m not making fun of you, I really just wanted to say Hi.“

„Then how do you know my plushies name?“ Keith hisses. _Wait,_ _wrong question._ „And how do you know my name?“

„You told me.“ Shiro smiles, gently as if not to aggravate Keith again. „You said that you and Captain Blueberry would like to be invited to get ice cream with me sometime soon. So that’s why I came over.“

Keith’s mouth falls open again. Was this guy nuts? „I said what? When exactly did I say something like that?“ Pretty face or not, Keith wouldn’t hesitate to knock the guys lights out if he turned out to be a freak.

Shiro shrugs. „Last Friday, well, more like Saturday morning."

_Oh no._

Pidge’s birthday had been last Friday and Keith had gotten horribly drunk. Drunk enough to wake up with a murderous hangover and no idea of how he’d gotten home.

Swallowing in sudden fear of further embarrassment and dropping his fighting attitude, Keith no longer knows how to face Shiro. „I asked you out to get ice cream?“

„No.“

_Oh, thank fuck!_

„You told me that I should invite you and your plushie out for ice cream.“ Shiro chuckles, looking charmed for whatever reason.

_Hell open up and swallow me whole, I’m begging you._

Keith feels a bit nauseous with embarrassment, wondering at which point Shiro will start to bluntly make fun of him. „I’m sorry.“ He chokes out. That’s exactly why Keith doesn’t talk to boys!

„What for?“ Shiro laughs. „So? Are we gonna get ice cream now?“

Shiro’s either completely unaware of the fact that Keith is ready to crawl into the nearest hole and die, or his casual attitude is part of Keith’s torture. Either way, Keith’s speechless with confusion.

„But Captain Blueberry isn’t here.“ Keith whispers weakly, making things worse.

For the first time in this ridiculous conversation, Shiro frowns. „Is that a _no_?“

This was a joke. It _had_ to be a joke. „What the hell happened last Friday? I can’t remember a thing and I’m not sure whether to doubt your sanity or my own.“

„Come and find out.“ Shiro says gently and with a warmth that suggests that he and Keith aren’t complete strangers. „I’ll tell you everything you’ve forgotten if you get ice cream with me.“

Keith finds himself nodding. This was for sure the most concerning daydream he’s ever had.

„If you turn out to be an axe-murderer, just know that Captain Blueberry will revenge my death.“

Shiro snorts loudly. „Noted.“

They don’t talk on the way to the ice cream parlor and it’s not until they walk through the doors, that Keith realizes that his silence could be read as awkward tension by Shiro.  
Truth is that Keith was deep in thought as they walked, silently panicking over all the different scenarios in which he could’ve already freaked Shiro out.

The logic part of his brain tells him that it couldn’t have been so bad if Shiro still wanted to talk to him. The mortified part teases him to just wait for the big bang that’s yet to come, warning him that in some way, he’s about to get even more humiliated. Keith stays cautious either way, carefully eying Shiro while they walk up to the counter.

The worst part of this is the fact that Keith usually doesn’t care what people think of him.

He can count the number of people he wants to impress or make proud on one hand and those people earned that by staying by Keith’s side and coax him into slowly trusting them.

Even embarrassing himself to this extent, is something Keith usually shrugs off with a simple: _oh well what happened, happened._ And then he goes on with his day, brushing everything else aside as if it didn’t matter in the first place.  
For people who don’t know him, it’s hard to spot his insecurities if he hides them under leather and a resting bitch-face. And he’s so _good_ at pretending he’s above all awkward or unwanted feelings, it’s a skill he’s rather proud of.

So how has Shiro not only managed to catch his interest but cracked his shell so quickly that he was able to get a good look at the mess inside Keith’s heart and mind?  
Keith wants to laugh this situation off, wants to cling to every bit of confidence he possesses but to his horror, he finds that he does care what Shiro thinks of him.

He can’t assess what’s going on inside Shiro’s head or what’s about to happen because he can’t remember what happened last weekend when he was drunk and that makes him angry, confused and vulnerable.

All he knows is that he doesn’t like not having the upper hand. He doesn’t like the humiliation that creeps up inside of him at the thought that he’s made a fool out of him in front of someone he finds interesting and attractive. And above all, as bad as this is, he wants Shiro to like him.

Fuck.

„So, are you a cone or tub kinda guy?“ Shiro asks him, pulling Keith out of his thoughts as he eyes the display.

Behind the counter waits a girl wearing a frilly pastel apron for them to order. She looked bored when they walked in but she perked up as soon as she caught sight of Shiro and now she’s about to start drooling at the way his biceps flexes under his shirt. Keith can’t decide if he relates to her, if he wants to glare at her or if he should wish for her to distract Shiro enough so Keith can bolt.

„I don’t know.“ Keith answers distractedly, having already forgotten the question.

„I usually like cones if they’re well done but maybe we should just treat ourselves to some big cups and sit outside in the sun. What do you think?“ Shiro murmurs, blessing Keith with another warm smile.

Keith thinks that, due to the great weather, all tables outside are taken but he nods anyway. „Yeah, sure.“ He’s still waiting for Shiro to tell him what he actually wants. _As if_  he would just go and eat some ice cream with Keith for the fun of it, come on.

„Let’s go all out then. My treat, of course.“ Shiro says and at that, the girl behind the counter glares at Keith a little sourly. She didn’t even glance at him before that.

„Um, you don’t have to. Really.“ Keith stammers, because of Shiro’s offer, not the girl. He’d happily dunk her face first into one of the ice cream containers if she were to start any trouble.

„I want to. So just let me, okay?“ His gentle tone suggests that he just wants to do something nice for Keith, rather than defending his male ego by insisting to be the alpha that pays, so Keith nods in agreement.

„Okay. Thank you.“ He mumbles while his traitorous heart jumps inside his chest. _This is not a date, this is not a date, this is not a date._

Some part of Keith is still convinced that he’s about to walk into a trap, even if Shiro has been terribly nice so far.

He tries to get his thoughts and emotions back in order while Shiro lists all the flavors he wants to get to the girl who reaches for a big cup with eyes so hazy that Keith is sure Shiro will have to repeat himself.

Shiro’s finished cup, all done and decorated with tiny wafers and chocolate sauce, looks like a small bucket full of ice cream.  
Keith, who is aware that Shiro already told the girl that he will take the same size, has no idea how he’s supposed to eat this much ice cream before it all melts under the spring sun.

When Shiro turns to him, licking some sauce off his finger before telling him that it’s his turn to order, he’s actually no longer sure who will melt first. Keith or the ice cream.

Trying to not picture Shiro licking anything else off his fingers, he stutters through his order and points randomly at flavors without actually looking. Shiro raises his eyebrows at the selection Keith ends up with but manages to look impressed at the diversity nevertheless.

Keith smiles weakly at the silent encouragement and cheers himself up by thinking that all ice cream flavors are compatible with each other anyway. He just hope’s he’s not allergic to starfruit or whatever it was called, he never had that one before.

Shiro pays while Keith still eyes his ice cream bucket, trying to figure out the contents. The girl takes Shiro’s money with heart-eyes but Shiro’s either the most oblivious person to ever exists or so used to it that he doesn’t react beyond smiling politely at her, before he turns back to Keith so they can head back outside.

Now Keith tries not to be a petty person but some days, there are just people waiting to test his patience.

As soon as Shiro turns his back towards her, the girl continues to glare daggers at Keith. That’s something he can happily ignore, it’s a misplaced boost to his own ego that she thinks he’s dating Shiro. In a way, it distracts him from feeling insecure and awkward around Shiro.

So maybe Keith would’ve even felt grateful towards the girl, if it weren’t for the sneery huff he heard coming from her as Shiro opened the door for Keith. Shiro doesn’t seem to have noticed but Keith did and he knows the snide sound was meant for him.

No, Keith really tries not to be a petty person but now he can’t help himself.

When Shiro’s attention gets caught by something outside, Keith raises his free hand that's curled into a loose fist next to his cheek, hollowing it while he pushes his tongue against the inside of his other cheek, mimicking the universal gesture of a blowjob. The girl’s mouth falls open in distaste and Keith can’t help but grin.

Shiro turns back to look at him just in time to see Keith smile up at him innocently, telling him to go ahead. With Shiro out the door first, Keith winks at the girl cockily for good measure and follows Shiro out into the sunlight.

He can only hope that the Universe isn’t about to punish him for being such a little bitch but Keith can’t find it in him to feel ashamed. Has that girl never heard of customer service before? Keith can’t blame her for wanting to jump on Shiro but that’s no excuse to make him feel like he didn’t at least have the same chances as her.

Of course, Keith has no idea what Shiro is into. For all he knows, and with his luck, his little stunt could absolutely backfire. Shiro had not seen but karma had its eyes everywhere and it was usually on to Keith.

He’s aware that he’s playing with fire here. Minutes ago he was nervous and convinced to be the punchline on some kind of joke he didn’t get and now he’s tempting his luck by pretending Shiro would let him go anywhere near his cock. So if the Universe was about to punish Keith immediately, he’s at least aware that he kinda deserves it.

His fingers feel a little numb from holding the ice cream bucket by the time Shiro finds a nice patch of lush green on a meadow across the street from the ice cream parlor.  
He sits down cross-legged in the sun and squints up at Keith, waiting for him to join him down on the grass.

Rather than sitting next to him, Keith lets himself fall on his ass in front of Shiro so they can face each other. He finally wants to know what he told Shiro about Captain Blueberry and he’s ready to stare the man into the ground to get the information.

Okay and maybe he’s not against the idea of getting a good look at Shiro’s face while they speak. He’s close enough to count his lashes again…

„Your ice cream will melt.“ Shiro reminds him before he shoves a huge scoop into his mouth, smiling around the spoon.

„Do you get off on leaving me in the dark?“ Keith asks but starts eating as well, smirking when Shiro coughs a little at his crude words.

„What?“

„You still haven’t told me why we’re here. I mean I love ice cream but you kinda have me on the edge of my seat here.“

„Why so leery? Are you afraid I’m going to kidnap you, or something? I thought that axe-murderer thing was a joke?“ Shiro finally seemed to realize that Keith wasn’t just a skittish person but actually feeling wary because of him.

Keith narrows his eyes at Shiro, licking something that might be Rhubarb off his spoon. „Well as far as I know, we’ve never spoken before. But somehow, you know the name of my favorite childhood toy. So that either makes you a stalker or someone who likes to taunt drunk boys.“

The look on Shiro’s face was hard to decipher. Surprise, hurt, amusement. He definitely hadn’t expected to bounce off Keith’s walls. „I invited you for ice cream.“

„Do you have some sweets for me too, back in your white van?“ Keith keeps eating casually, knowing that he’s goading Shiro and waiting for his reaction.

„Is that what you think of me? You don’t even know me!“ Shiro says calmly but he’s clearly shocked.

„Exactly.“ Keith says, watching Shiro’s eyes go wide. „I don’t know you. I know nothing about you.“

Shiro stays quiet for a moment, finally realizing that Keith’s wary of him because he still hasn’t told him how they met.

„I kinda messed this up, didn’t I?“ Shiro now asks, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Admittedly, that shy smile makes Keith a little weak. He smiles back to show Shiro that he’s not about to kick him in the balls. „You could try again.“

„Yeah?“ Shiro laughs. „Yeah, okay. Um, Hi. I’m Shiro. I dunno if you remember but we talked for a while last weekend. You were a little drunk but you mentioned loving ice cream so I was wondering if you wanted to get some with me?“

God, Keith was definitely about to melt.

„Hey Shiro, I’m Keith. I think I was more than just a little drunk because I, unfortunately, don’t remember a thing but I would love to go for some ice cream. I hope I didn’t do anything embarrassing when we talked?“

Shiro was grinning at Keith the entire time he talked, eyes crinkling slightly in the corners.

„No, nothing embarrassing happened.“ Shiro assured. „Don’t worry.“

Keith shoves a bit more ice cream into his mouth, feeling himself relax more now that they were moving forward. „So I didn’t mention someone named Captain Blueberry to you?“

Shiro swallows a mouth full of his own Ice Cream. „Oh you did, you introduced us even.“

Keith shrieks. „I did _what?_ “ He knew this was going too well.

Licking chocolate sauce off his lips, Shiro keeps a calm face. „It was adorable.“

Okay Keith, no need to focus on the fact that greek-god-Shiro just called you _adorable_. Focus on saving your dignity instead.

„Hey, Shiro?“ He asks weakly. „As fun as this is, can you just tell me exactly what happened, please? Because I feel like I’m about to die of embarrassment and I don’t wanna prolong the process.“

„Not a fan of surprises, huh?“

„I had plenty of those today already. I just wanna know how deep the hole I’m going to dig myself needs to be.“

„It’s not that bad.“ Shiro says gently, reassuringly.

Keith wished he could believe him. „Let me be the judge of that, okay?“

  
  
**Shiro**

  
_Shiro isn’t lazy by nature but the fact that he doesn’t need a part-time job to cover his expenses feeds into the typical picture of a fraternity brother that stays up all night to party and sleeps in late into the afternoon the next day._

 _Shiro actually studies at least half the nights he doesn’t get any sleep but for some reason, his profs are the only ones acknowledging that._  
_Shiro is fine with that. The people who bother to actually get to know him always figure out that he’s not dumb nor vain and what other people think of him, he tries not to think about. If anything, he’d rather be the funny dude to party with than the strange one with all the scars._

_Scholarships and insurance from the accident give him the freedom to not stress about money like most students do but that doesn’t mean that Shiro refuses to do any work._

_His uncle, for example, owns a small restaurant not far from campus and Shiro spends a lot of time there, enjoying some warm food or helping out in the back. It’s not unusual either that one of the delivery guys call in sick or don’t show up and then it’s Shiro who jumps in to support his uncle._

_It’s early on a Saturday morning when his phone rings and pulls him from his sleep. It’s only dawning outside Shiro’s window as he blinks sleep from his eyes and reaches for his phone with a blurry vision._

_On the weekends, his uncle’s restaurant is open 24h. He says that he makes the most money from tipsy students but the unusual working hours also make it difficult to find reliable delivery boys and girls._  
_That very Saturday morning, Shiro gets another S.O.S call from his uncle, asking him if he would come in and deliver some takeout._

_Shiro agrees and steps out of bed in the same breath. He thanks his past self for only having a few beers last night while watching a football game with his friends and heads towards the bathroom for the quickest shower._

_Not having much time, Shiro brushes his teeth in the shower and towels off in his bedroom where he searches for clean clothes. He dresses in dark sweatpants and a tank top, putting a snapback on backward since he’s in too much of a rush to properly do his hair._  
_By the time Shiro parks in front of the restaurant, his stomach growled with hunger but he feels much more awake. His uncle greets him as he steps inside, pushing a large coffee cup and a bag of steamed buns into his hands._

 _Shiro eats his breakfast while his uncle talks and asks about Shiro’s classes while it clatters in the kitchen behind them._  
_It’s not much later when Shiro finds himself in the car again, the takeout he’s supposed to deliver in a box next to him. He reads the address and gulps down the rest of his coffee before pulling out of his parking space and onto the road._

_It’s about 7 am when Shiro pulls up to the small and shabby apartment complex. The address pinned to his dashboard his a little smudgy and once again, he asks himself when his uncle will finally arrive in the digital age. Shiro tried to convince him a hundred times, especially since he so often ends up at the wrong door with food someone else ordered but his uncle is as stubborn as a mule._

_The stairwell inside his dark and small, wooden stairs splintered and scratched from years of use. The walls are patchy and written on with phone numbers, hearts_ and _crude messages. Muffled laughter and music can be heard from somewhere above and Shiro hopes that he’s not about to crash a party of half drunk, half asleep kids who forgot where they put the money._  
_He stops in front of apartment number 5 and stares at the pile of biker boots piling up in front of the door. Then he stares back at the scribbled address on the piece of paper he’s holding. The ink on the number is smudged, Shiro is unable to tell if it’s actually a 5 or maybe a wonky 6 instead._

_The music he heard earlier comes louder now from behind the door down the hall. If he’s standing in front of 5, then the party belongs to number 6. Shiro has a lot of patience but the mere thought of having to deal with drunk students this early on a Saturday morning he’d much rather spend in bed, has him frowning._

_Decision made, Shiro shoves the dress into the pocket of his sweatpants and knocks on the door in front of him. If he’s lucky then he’s about to hand over the food someone ordered. If he’s not, then he can only hope that the biker living here likes to be woken early by a stranger._

_It stays silent bind the door so Shiro knocks a little louder after waiting for a few heartbeats. The wooden door shakes inside its frame. Still nothing. Shiro keeps knocking. He’s about to give up and turn towards the next apartment when he hears shuffling and a muffled voice._

_„Hm coming.“ Someone says then something thuds, a sound like something getting knocked over, followed by some giggling. „Shhh,“ The same voice laughs but no one answers. Shiro raises one eyebrow at the door but waits patiently until it swings open._

_And then his heart stops beating for a moment._

_Standing in front of him isn’t the meaty, grumpy biker he expected nor is it some kind of lunatic that likes to talk to himself._

_It’s the pretty boy from campus Shiro has been crushing on for forever and the sight of him is enough for Shiro’s brain to short circuit._

_Because Pretty boy is barely dressed and smiles up at Shiro like he’s just been struck by cupid’s arrow._

_His messy hair and state of undress would suggest that he’d just crawled out of bed. So is the violet stuffed animal that he hugs close to his chest and keeps petting with his other hand. Shiro knows it’s impolite and that he really should say something but all of this is too much, so all he can do is stare._

_The boy is only wearing a pair of black briefs that peek out beneath the ripped hem of the loose shirt he’s wearing. A faded maroon one with many holes and loose threads. It barely does enough to cover his modesty but slips off one of his shoulders. He’s only wearing one striped sock, his other foot is naked._

_„Hey, you.“ Pretty boy slurs and continues to grin up at him, swaying a little on the spot._

_And suddenly Shiro realizes that he’s absolutely wasted. Which is probably why he doesn’t bother to hide his plushy nor his long, long bare legs from Shiro. Shiro basically has to rip his eyes away from them while he can hear the angels starting to sing in the background._

_„Hi.“ Shiro croaks out and then quickly closes his mouth again before he starts to drool._

_He should really explain why he has knocked but the boy doesn’t seem to mind that Shiro only gapes at him. The food he’s supposed to deliver is completely forgotten for the moment._

_„I know who you are.“ Pretty boy mumbles happily, taking a few steps closer._

_Shiro’s heart starts to race as he looks down at him. He’s really close. „Do you?“ He stammers._

_„Hm.“ The boy closes his eyes for a moment and rips them back open when he starts to sway a little more. „Whoopsie, merry go round we go.“_

_Shiro braces himself to catch him should he stumble. „Do you wanna sit down?“_

_The boy pouts and it shouldn’t be as adorable. But he’s got such nice lips and an even prettier face so he looks a little like a doll despite his glaring eyes._

_„No! We were in the middle of a conversation.“ He protests and Shiro can’t help but laugh at his drunken seriousness._

_„Ah, right. Sorry. Where were we?“_

_The boy furrows his eyebrows and licks his lips. „You tell me."_

_Shiro chuckles. God, he should make the guy lay down on the sofa and leave him with some water and then go but he can’t. He doesn’t want to. It’s like he’s glued to the spot and this boy is so charming despite being horribly drunk. Shiro wanted to talk to him forever and now he finally can get to know him a little, it’s impossible to resist at least finding out his name._

_„You wanted to tell me where you know me from.“ Shiro reminds him because he’s a weak man._

_„Oh right.“ The boy’s dark eyes light up and Shiro wishes the light would be better because they’re such an unusual shade of deep blue. „I’ve seen you around campus with your loud friends. You’re that hot frat dude with the skunk hair.“_

_Something inside Shiro’s brain melted when the pretty boy called him hot so he isn’t sure he heard the rest of the sentence quite right. „S-skunk?“ He asks, unsure if he should feel insulted._

_The boy giggles again and hides a little behind his plushy. „The cute skunk from Bambi. Have you seen that movie? You can come inside and watch it with me.“_

_As tempting as it is, Shiro feels like that would cross a line. The boy is a little too drunk to decide who he should really invite inside so Shiro won’t cross the threshold unless pretty boy will pass out on him._

_„Maybe next time.“ He declines politely. „I’m Shiro, by the way.“_

_„Oh good, finally a name! Now my friend Lance can stop calling you Skunkdaddy whenever we talk about you. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that one anyway.“ The boy babbles drunkenly unaware and without any kind of filter, grinning up at Shiro._

_Meanwhile, Shiro’s soul has left his body and he feels like needing a drink himself. The word daddy echoes inside his head and he can’t stop thinking about the fact that this gorgeous guy not only noticed him but also talked about him with his friend. The skunk stuff aside._

_God, he needs to change the topic. If he ever wants to have another conversation with this boy, it’s best not to embarrass him to the bone right now, Shiro decides._

_He coughs and tries to will his blush away. „So. Now that you know my name, it would only be fair if you told me yours as well, right?“_

_„Is this a, you show me yours I’ll show you mine, situation?“ The boy cheekily asks and attempts a wink that’s a little wonky rather than suggestive._

_He’s such a mess and Shiro can already tell that he’s got it bad. He blushes again. „Yeah…something like that.“_

_„I’m Keith.“ The boy says and attempts to lean his hip against the doorframe but stumbles to the side instead. Shiro catches him around the waist, preventing him from falling. Keith grins up at him. „Shiro my hero.“ He sings._

_Not the first time Shiro heard that stupid joke but it’s certainly the first time he’s laughed about it. He puts Keith back on his feet. „Careful.“_

_Keith nods like he hasn’t even heard him. „Oh, I completely forgot. This is Captain Blueberry. Say Hi.“_

_Suddenly Shiro finds the violet plushy shoved into his face by Keith and under closer inspection, realizes that the stuffed animal is a faded and well-loved hippo. Behind the plushy, Keith his looking at him with big expecting eyes so Shiro does what every sane gentleman would do._

_He takes one of the hippo’s legs in hand and gives it a firm shake. „It’s nice to meet you, Captain Blueberry, Sir.“ He says as seriously as he can while Keith starts giggling again._

_Has there ever been a sweeter sound?_

_„Captain Blueberry is delighted to meet you too.“ Keith translates and pulls the plushy back into his arms. „He also says that you should really invite us to get some ice cream sometime soon.“_

_Shiro’s heart skips a beat. „You want to go out with me?“_

_Keith rolls his hazy eyes. „No. You want to go out with me. And to prove that you have only good intentions with my fragile heart, you’ll invite Captain Blueberry as well.“ He announces and cradles his plushly like a baby._

_„Sure.“ Shiro says and is so smitten that it doesn’t occur to him that Keith might_   _had a screw loose._

_„Good. Because I really love ice cream, you know.“ Keith grins. „Now that that’s cleared, I got a question for you, Shiro Hero.“_

_Shiro leans against the door frame as well, mirroring Keith’s position. „Shoot.“ He smiles._

_„Can you bench press me?“_

_Shiro snorts. „What?“_

_„I mean I’m sure you can_ , _“ Keith explains, gesturing at Shiro’s biceps. „But will you?“_

_The mental picture of holding a giggling Keith above his head while he’s lying on a bench at the gym sneaks itself into Shiro’s mind before he can stop it. But he rubs the back of his neck and shakes his head instead._

_„I don’t think that would be a good idea.“_

_There is that heart-melting pout again. „Why not?“_

_„Well you had a bit to drink, didn’t you?“ Shiro asks carefully. „So I think it’s best if we don’t joggle your stomach too much.“_

_Keith bits his lips and then cups his hand against his mouth like he’s telling Shiro a secret. Leaning forward he says,“I think I had a bit much Tequila.“ He whispers. „We were celebrating Pidge’s birthday.“_

_Shiro’s eyebrows meet his hairline. „Pidge? As in Katie Holt?“_

_„Yes,“ Keith confirms excitedly, clapping the hippo’s legs together like they’re hands. „We’re friends. Do you know her? Hella smart.“_

_„I know her brother. Who surely wouldn’t appreciate that his little sister drinks. She’s underage.“ Shiro surely isn’t the strictest person around but he cares for Pidge likes she’s his own younger sibling._

_Meanwhile, Keith rolls his red-rimmed eyes up to the ceiling so spectacularly that Shiro wonders how he doesn’t get nauseous from it. „Yeah alright because I’m sure that you weren’t even touching a bottle of beer until you were old enough.“_

_Well, he had a point there…_

_„You make it sound like I’m so much older than you are.“ Shiro smiles, trying to get back on Keith’s good side again. He needs to hear that giggle again._

_Keith’s eyes wander back to Shiro’s and the look in them is intense despite the glassiness that clouds them slightly. His pout has curled into a small smirk._

_„Maybe I do so because I like the idea of that. Maybe I think it’s hot that you’re older and bigger and…“ His eyes have wandered down Shiro’s chest and are now focused somewhere near his navel. Or below. Shiro’s heart jumps in excitement and he can feel himself starting to smirk as well._

_„Stronger?“ He helps Keith out, who seems to have forgotten where he was going._

_The heady expression inside Keith’s eyes disappears as he snaps his head back up. Instead, he laughs. „Please, I could kick your ass.“_

_Shiro laughs as well. „I’d love to see you try.“ And he means it, after all, he’s seen Keith at the gym before and had wondered what it would look like if they decided to go against each other._  
_Shiro isn’t sure which thought he likes better: getting thrown to the floor by the prettiest boy he’s ever seen or using his own weight to pin said boy beneath him until he submits._

_„We’ll do that on our second date.“_

_„Second date?“ Shiro echos, head still swimming with mental pictures of a sweaty Keith._

_„First the ice cream, then the fighting.“ Keith explains, smiling gently up at Shiro._

_And Shiro smiles right back because he feels ridiculously happy around Keith. Sure he’s drunk and a little silly because of it but Shiro can’t take his eyes off him. He wants to live on his doorstep now and listen to his every thought, no matter if he’s drunk or sober._

_„Sounds like you have it all planned.“ He teases Keith lightly. „What are we gonna do on our third date?“_

_„The loser pays for ice cream again. The winner gets to lick it off the loser.“ He says it so innocently and calmly, like it’s not the best thing Shiro’s ever heard, while Shiro almost chokes on nothing but air._

_„Oh god…are you real?“ Shiro has to ask, Keith seems like something he would’ve come up within a dream._

_„No existential questions until after I had a tub full of coffee.“ Keith yawns, seemingly unaware that Shiro’s fighting every spark of arousal that wants to invade his body. „How late is it anyway?“ He asks and that finally brings Shiro back to reality._

_Fuck. The food delivery. The wrong apartment. His uncle. The drunk boy that stole his heart. Fuck._

_Shiro’s been here for far too long although he’d love to stay longer. He tells Keith the time and why he’s actually here._

_„So you didn’t mean to visit me?“ Keith asks a little confused, pushing his hippo between his head and the wall to snuggle into it like an improvised pillow. He’s so tried, Shiro doesn’t know how he hasn’t passed out yet._

_„On a Saturday, out of the blue, at 7 am?“ Shiro asks teasingly, „Without me knowing your name or where you lived?“_

_Keith’s pout intensifies. „Well…“ He waves his arms around like he’s fishing for a logical answer. „You’re some kind of Disney prince, aren’t you?“_

_Shiro laughs. „I’m a fraternity brother.“_

_Keith closes his eyes and groans. „Fuck, that’s the literal opposite.“_

_„It’s not that bad.“_

_„I won’t believe that until you prove it.“ Keith yawns again._

_„I will.“ Shiro promises._

_In return, Keith promises to drink a glass of water and then head straight to bed again. Shiro has kept him up long enough and he needs to finally deliver the food before he’ll get his uncle’s business in trouble._

_Before closing the door, Keith blesses Shiro with the sweetest, sleepy smile and waves his hippo at him._

_Shiro spends the next minutes on cloud nine, doesn’t even really register how he brings the food where it belongs. It’s not until he’s back at his uncle’s restaurant, that he realizes that he forgot to ask Keith for his number._  
  


** Keith  
**

 

Keith sits unmoving and stares at Shiro without blinking or saying a word. The bucket in his hands is half full of melted ice cream, he began feeling too horrified to continue eating a while ago.

Keith’s head is empty because his soul has left his body and started running for the hills, screaming high pitched without pause. His heart has stopped working too, figuring it would just save itself the trouble and now it sits shriveled up in his chest, rocking back and forward in the corner.

„Keith? You’re okay?“ Shiro’s gentle voice comes from far away. He’s the snake and Keith his the bunny. He should run but he can’t.

His voice returns to him. „How’s that _not so bad?_ “ He croaks, borderline hysteric. „Please tell me that this is a hidden camera prank because if what you say is true, I’ll die from the embarrassment.“ His heart returns from the dead and starts racing inside his constricted chest.

„It’s not a prank but I promise it’s really not that bad.“ Shiro tries to calm him but Keith prefers the meltdown.

„I made an absolute tit out of myself and I was so wasted that I can’t even remember it! How does one just forget something like that, huh? How could I forget talking to _you_ …“ Keith started out almost screaming but his voice quietened down into a whisper at the end. Miserably, he lets his shoulders drop.

Shiro frowns. „What exactly is so embarrassing to you?“

Keith gapes at him. „W-what? Where should I start? With my childhood plushie that I forcibly introduced you to or with the fact that I acted like a swooning fangirl that wanted to be bench pressed and lick ice cream off your body?“ Keith’s eyes burn a little but he won’t cry. He swallows the wetness down.

Shiro leans closer. „Okay, I get that. But Keith, you blew my mind.“

„What?“ Keith whispers, feeling an overwhelming inner turmoil.

„I’ve never wanted to get to know someone more than I did after talking to you. Hell, after just looking at you. I’ve been unable to stop thinking about you.“

Keith opens his mouth but for a long while, nothing comes out. „Do you study psychology or something like that?“ He asks then. „Is that why you’re so interested in me? Am I going to be your case study?“

Shiro gives him a stern look. „No.“ He sighs. „Keith, you’re charming and funny. You’re blatantly handsome and obviously smart too. You’re might be embarrassed but I’m beyond thankful that your drunken brain dropped any filter. Now I know that you’re as attracted to me as I am to you. Who knows if we would’ve ever even talked if it weren’t for that weird encounter.“

Keith waits for Shiro to start laughing and tell him it’s all been one big joke but all he does is to look at him hopefully. Keith allows his heart to flutter like an excited bird. „You actually like me?“

Shiro gives him a flustered smile. „You’ve been on my mind for a while now. It’s a grown crush by now.“

Keith’s heart jumps. „What about Captain Blueberry.“ Asking the important stuff.

„That has been the cutest shit I’ve ever seen, I’m not kidding. So please stop looking at me like you’re expecting me to make fun of you. Drunk Keith is a religious experience and I think I wanna convert.“

A laugh rips free from Keith’s throat. „Stop it. Don’t tease me yet, the embarrassment is still too raw.“

„Okay.“ Shiro smiles and reaches out to brush his thumb over Keith’s wrist. „I’ll do whatever you want if it means that you won’t run from me. I really like you.“

Keith turns his hand so he can brush his fingertips over Shiro’s knuckles. He doesn’t dare to look into Shiro’s eyes as he answers but he smiles at their hands. „I think I really like you too.“

„Does that mean that you’re gonna go out with me again?“

Peeking up from beneath his lashes, Keith asks,“ Do you really wanna fight me, big boy?“

Shiro gulps and blushes a little. He looks to the side. „Another time maybe. How about we go for ice cream again? You didn’t really get to finish yours.“ He looks at Keith’s melted puddle of goo.

„Yeah okay, sounds good.“ Keith grins, feeling how he slowly really starts to relax around Shiro.

Until now he’s been too embarrassed to realize that he’s actually sitting here with Shiro. That this is something like a date. That _Shiro_ came up to him and bought him ice cream and admitted that _he likes Keith_. It’s overwhelming and suddenly Keith feels dizzy with happiness.

„Under one condition though.“ Shiro ads cheekily and hooks his pinky finger around Keith’s.

„What?“ Keith whispers, enchanted by the way Shiro’s eyes shine when he looks at him. He can’t remember what he’s been so tense about mere moments ago.

„This time you’re bringing Captain Blueberry along.“

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> My first proper fic for the Sheith fandom, be gentle :) And maybe leave some feedback if you wanna be real cool. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr [ here](https://yours-julie.tumblr.com/)
> 
> (Also: English is not my native language so please excuse weird mistakes)


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